Research Assistant/associate

**Salary**:
Research Assistant: £32,296 - £33,232 per annum

Reserach Associate: £34,866 - £45,163 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 15 November 2024

**The Role**

This is an exciting opportunity for a Research Associate to join the School of Psychology and deliver cutting-edge research in student mental health. Funded by a UKRI programme grant, the work will: evalute new interventions for students including mental health literacy training for undergraduates; prepare and deliver longitudinal surveys focused on mental health and student experience; evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and effectivness of digital tools to support mental health in young people; and associated research into young people's mental health.

**Key Accountabilities**
- Working under the general guidance of the study’s Investigator at Newcastle University (Dr Lucy Robinson), you will help deliver/evaluate a biannual student survey, a curriculum-embedded mental health literacy programme, and a digital tool for self-monitoring and sign-posting. The postholder will contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of their studies, thus providing substantial 'added value'.
- Contribute to the writing up of their research for publication and dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications
- Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline.
- Participate in the programme steering group and other network activities
- May be involved in the supervision, with guidance, of final year undergraduate research projects and in providing support to postgraduate research students or Research Assistants
- Determine appropriate methodologies for research, with advice and support where required
- Begin to write, with appropriate support, proposals for individual research funding or, where funders do not permit this, contribute to the writing of collective bids
- Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
- Will need to work with the support staff and, on occasions, with undergraduate and postgraduate students, and interact intellectually with other academic members of the Institute.
- May contribute to events celebrating the public engagement of science/social sciences/humanities
- Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment

**The Person (Essential)**

**Knowledge, Skills and Experience**
- High level of proficiency in data collection and analysis, especially in the use of packages such as R, Matlab, or SPSS (proficiency in R is highly desirable)
- Experience of patient and public involvement in research design and conduct (desirable)
- Excellent awareness of the ethical and governance issues involved in research
- Ability to work well as part of a team and rapidly acquire new skills
- Likelihood of advanced skills directly related to the research projects
- High level of analytical and problem-solving capability
- Ability to communicate complex information with clarity and to encourage the commitment of others
- Experience of research with clear transferable skills and some experience or awareness of the research environment
- Presentations at conferences and/or high-quality publications

**Attributes and Behaviour**
- High level of analytical and problem-solving ability
- Excellent verbal communication skills, able to adjust communication appropriately to the target audience
- High standard of written communication in both formal academic writing and less formal platforms (e.g. social media, website content)
- Capable of working well in a team (i.e. community-minded, respectful and kind to colleagues, able to contribute considerately to team discussions)
- Highly-organised and efficient

**Qualifications**
- A PhD in the research area required (Research Associate). Relevant research areas include applied mental health, student wellbeing, and young people’s mental health.
- Evidence of presentations at conferences and/or high quality publications appropriate to career stage

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employe